Science Daily December 8, 2020
A team of researchers in the US (University of Washington, University Maryland) used antennae from the Manduca sexta hawkmoth for Smellicopter. One scent molecule in a moth antenna can trigger lots of cellular responses amplifying chemical signals. This process is super-efficient, specific, and fast. Researchers placed moths in the fridge to anesthetize them before removing an antenna. Once separated from the live moth, the antenna stays biologically and chemically active for up to four hours which can be extended by storing antennae in the fridge. In tests the moth antenna reacted more quickly and took less time to recover between puffs of a smell compared to human made sensor. To create Smellicopter, the team added the antenna sensor to an open-source hand-held commercially available quadcopter drone platform that allows users to add special features. Smellicopter can also avoid obstacles with the help of four infrared sensors, it does not need GPS instead it uses a camera to survey its surroundings. This makes Smellicopter well-suited for exploring indoor or underground spaces like mines or pipes, especially locate the source of a plume…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE